Utah Enacts Child Protection Law for Online Creators After Ruby Franke Conviction

In response to the child abuse case involving Ruby Franke, a former YouTube star known for her parenting advice on the '8 Passengers' channel, Utah has enacted a new law enhancing protections for children of online content creators. This law mandates that parents set aside 15% of earnings from content featuring minors into a trust fund for the children, and allows them to remove such content from the internet. Franke’s ex-husband, Kevin, has publicly expressed regret over allowing their children to be filmed, stating that children cannot give informed consent to be filmed on social media. The law follows the arrest of Franke and her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, after Franke's severely malnourished son escaped and sought help from a neighbor. The Franke family, which garnered about 2.5 million followers, faced scrutiny as their disciplinary practices drew concern from viewers. This legislative action reflects a growing trend to regulate the largely unregulated content-creation industry in the U.S.